2-dose vaccination no guarantee that you won’t get Covid

New Delhi/Lucknow | A successful doctor couple in their 60s, who live in the posh Gomti Nagar locality in Lucknow, received both doses of Covid vaccine last month. Re-energised, they resumed private practice at their clinic. But to their horror, both of them have now been found Covid positive.

A family member told IANS on condition of anonymity that even she and her kid are now Covid positive as she visited her parents in the last few days.

They are not alone as news emerged from Lucknow that at least 40 doctors of King George’s Medical University (KGMU), including Vice Chancellor Lt Gen (retd) Vipin Puri, have tested positive for novel coronavirus, despite most of them taking both the doses of the vaccine.

Alarmingly, this is the second time since last August that Vice Chancellor Puri has been infected by the virus, indicating that re-infection is also happening. He was administered the second dose of vaccine on March 25.

As India doubles down on vaccination, such reports are worrisome as they may desist people from going for the jab.

Satish Kaul, HOD and Director, internal medicine, Narayana Hospital, Gurugram, said that the vaccine basically provides protection from the severity of the disease.

“It saves us from getting chronically sick; it potentially saves us from ICU, ventilator and oxygen support and helps weaken the mechanism of the disease in human body,” Kaul told IANS.

“Hence, vaccine beneficiaries are supposed to continue wearing masks, maintain social distancing and observe Covid-appropriate behaviour even after getting vaccinated. Also, after taking the second dose, be extra cautious for at least two weeks and follow all precautionary measures,” he advised.

WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said during a United Nations news briefing on Tuesday that at this stage, “we would not like to see vaccination passports as a requirement for entry or exit because we are not sure at this stage that the vaccine prevents transmissions”.

Vaccine passports are the digital proof that a person is fully vaccinated before starting any travel. A few options for vaccine passports exist for Americans and other countries and regions are also working on such digital travel documents.

According to Neha Gupta, infectious diseases specialist at Medanta-The Medicity Gurgaon, vaccination doesn’t guarantee 100 per cent immunity against novel coronavirus.

“However, the vaccine decreases the severity of the disease. It’s important to continue Covid-appropriate precautions like wearing fitted mask, hand hygiene and social distancing,” she told IANS.

IANS

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